ἤδη δʼ οὖν φανερῶς τυραννουμένης τῆς Ἰουδαίας πρῶτος ἀνθʼ ἱερέως ἀνέδειξεν ἑαυτὸν βασιλέα Ἀλέξανδρος· τούτου δʼ ἦσαν υἱοὶ Ὑρκανός τε καὶ Ἀριστόβουλος· διαφερομένων δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐπῆλθε Πομπήιος καὶ κατέλυσεν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ ἐρύματα αὐτῶν κατέσπασε καὶ αὐτὰ ἐν πρώτοις τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα βίᾳ καταλαβών· ἦν γὰρ πετρῶδες καὶ εὐερκὲς ἔρυμα, ἐντὸς μὲν εὔυδρον ἐκτὸς δὲ παντελῶς διψηρόν, τάφρον λατομητὴν ἔχον βάθος μὲν ἑξήκοντα ποδῶν, πλάτος δὲ πεντήκοντα καὶ διακοσίων· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ λίθου τοῦ λατομηθέντος ἐπεπύργωτο τὸ τεῖχος τοῦ ἱεροῦ. κατελάβετο δʼ, ὥς φασι, τηρήσας τὴν τῆς νηστείας ἡμέραν, ἡνίκα ἀπείχοντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι παντὸς ἔργου, πληρώσας τὴν τάφρον καὶ ἐπιβαλὼν τὰς διαβάθρας· κατασπάσαι δʼ οὖν ἐκέλευσε τὰ τείχη πάντα καὶ ἀνεῖλεν εἰς δύναμιν τὰ λῃστήρια καὶ τὰ γαζοφυλάκια τῶν τυράννων. ἦν δὲ δύο μὲν τὰ ταῖς εἰσβολαῖς ἐπικείμενα τοῦ Ἱερικοῦντος Θρήξ τε καὶ Ταῦρος, ἄλλα δὲ Ἀλεξάνδριόν τε καὶ Ὑρκάνιον καὶ Μαχαιροῦς καὶ Λυσιὰς καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Φιλαδέλφειαν καὶ ἡ περὶ Γαλιλαίαν Σκυθόπολις.
When Judaea openly became subject to a tyrannical government, the first person who exchanged the title of priest for that of king was Alexander. His sons were Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. While they were disputing the succession to the kingdom, Pompey came upon them by surprise, deprived them of their power, and destroyed their fortresses, first taking Jerusalem itself by storm. It was a stronghold, situated on a rock, well fortified and well supplied with water within, but externally entirely parched with drought. A ditch was cut in the rock, 60 feet in depth, and in width 250 feet. On the wall of the temple were built towers, constructed of the materials procured when the ditch was excavated. The city was taken, it is said, by waiting for the day of fast, on which the Jews were in the habit of abstaining from all work. Pompey [availing himself of this], filled up the ditch, and threw bridges over it. He gave orders to raze all the walls, and he destroyed, as far as was in his power, the haunts of the robbers and the treasure-holds of the tyrants. Two of these forts, Thrax and Taurus, were situated in the passes leading to Jericho. Others were Alexandrium, Hyrcanium, Machaerus, Lysias, and those about Philadelphia, and Scythopolis near Galilee.
̔ιερικοῦς δʼ ἐστὶ πεδίον κύκλῳ περιεχόμενον ὀρεινῇ τινι καί που καὶ θεατροειδῶς πρὸς αὐτὸ κεκλιμένῃ· ἐνταῦθα δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ φοινικών, μεμιγμένην ἔχων καὶ ἄλλην ὕλην ἥμερον καὶ εὔκαρπον, πλεονάζων δὲ τῷ φοίνικι, ἐπὶ μῆκος σταδίων ἑκατόν, διάρρυτος ἅπας καὶ μεστὸς κατοικιῶν· ἔστι δʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ βασίλειον καὶ ὁ τοῦ βαλσάμου παράδεισος· ἔστι δὲ τὸ φυτὸν θαμνῶδες, κυτίσῳ ἐοικὸς καὶ τερμίνθῳ, ἀρωματίζον· οὗ τὸν φλοιὸν ἐπισχίσαντες ὑπολαμβάνουσιν ἀγγείοις τὸν ὀπὸν γλίσχρῳ γάλακτι παραπλήσιον· ἀναληφθεὶς δʼ εἰς κογχάρια λαμβάνει πῆξιν· λύει δὲ κεφαλαλγίας θαυμαστῶς καὶ ὑποχύσεις ἀρχομένας καὶ ἀμβλυωπίας· τίμιος οὖν ἐστι καὶ διότι ἐνταῦθα μόνον γεννᾶται· καὶ ὁ φοινικὼν δὲ τοιοῦτος, ἔχων τὸν καρυωτὸν φοίνικα ἐνταῦθα μόνον, πλὴν τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου καὶ τοῦ ἐπέκεινα πρὸς τὴν ἕω· μεγάλη οὖν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἡ πρόσοδος. καὶ τῷ ξυλοβαλσάμῳ δὲ ὡς ἀρώματι χρῶνται.
Jericho is a plain encompassed by a mountainous district, which slopes towards it somewhat in the manner of a theatre. Here is the Phoenicon (or palm plantation), which contains various other trees of the cultivated kind, and producing excellent fruit; but its chief production is the palm tree. It is 100 stadia in length; the whole is watered with streams, and filled with dwellings. Here also is a palace and the garden of the balsamum. The latter is a shrub with an aromatic smell, resembling the cytisus and the terminthus. Incisions are made in the bark, and vessels are placed beneath to receive the sap, which is like oily milk. After it is collected in vessels, it becomes solid. It is an excellent remedy for headache, incipient suffusion of the eyes, and dimness of sight. It bears therefore a high price, especially as it is produced in no other place. This is the case also with the Phoenicon, which alone contains the caryotes palm, if we except the Babylonian plain, and the country above it towards the east: a large revenue is derived from the palms and balsamum; xylobalsamum is also used as a perfume.
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